A life raft is the single piece of equipment on your boat that you hope never to use and cannot afford to get wrong. When a hull floods, a fire spreads below, or a collision opens the boat to the sea, the life raft is what keeps your crew out of the water long enough to be found. Choosing the right life raft, packing it with the correct emergency equipment, and keeping it serviced on schedule are three separate jobs, and skipping any one of them leaves you with a canister that looks reassuring on deck but may not perform when you pull the painter. This guide walks through how to select a life raft for a yacht or powerboat, what a SOLAS life raft is and when you actually need one, the difference between valise and canister packing, how hydrostatic release and cradle mounting work, what happens during life raft servicing, real 2026 prices to buy and to service, and the brands that marine safety technicians trust.
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A life raft is a self-inflating buoyant shelter designed to hold your crew out of the water after you abandon ship. It lives in a sealed valise or a rigid canister, and it inflates automatically when the painter line is pulled hard enough to trigger the CO2 and nitrogen gas cylinder inside. Within seconds the tubes fill, the floor takes shape, and a canopy rises to give protection from wind, spray, and sun. That basic description covers every raft on the market, but the differences between them are large, and those differences are captured almost entirely by the standard printed on the label.
There are three standards that matter for recreational and commercial vessels in 2026: ISO 9650-1 for offshore use, ISO 9650-2 for coastal use, and SOLAS for commercial ships and the largest yachts. A cheaper "leisure" raft that meets no recognized standard exists on the market, and it should be avoided for any voyage beyond a sheltered harbor. When you read a spec sheet, the standard tells you how thick the tubes are, how the canopy is built, how the raft behaves in a capsize, and what equipment must be inside the emergency pack. Two rafts that both seat six people can differ by a factor of three in price, and the standard is the reason.
The word "liferaft" written as one word and "life raft" written as two are the same product. British and European suppliers tend to write liferaft, North American suppliers tend to write life raft, and you will see both spellings on brochures from the same manufacturer. Do not read anything into the spelling. Read the standard.
ISO 9650 is the international standard that governs recreational life rafts, and it splits into two categories that decide most purchases. ISO 9650-1 is the offshore category, built for use where water temperatures are lower, weather is heavier, and rescue may take a long time. ISO 9650-2 is the coastal category, built for warmer, more sheltered waters within a shorter distance of help. The physical differences are real. An offshore raft has an insulated double floor that you inflate to keep the cold sea from drawing heat out of your crew, a more substantial canopy with better ventilation and rainwater collection, and it is tested to inflate and function down to lower temperatures. A coastal raft may have a single floor, a lighter canopy, and a slightly warmer temperature rating.
SOLAS, which stands for Safety of Life at Sea, is the convention that sets the survival equipment rules for commercial ships. A SOLAS life raft is a much heavier, much more heavily equipped raft, tested to the strictest inflation and stability requirements, and it is what you find on commercial vessels, charter yachts operating under a coding scheme, and large private yachts that choose to fit commercial-grade equipment. A SOLAS raft is not required for a private recreational yacht in most jurisdictions, but many offshore sailors and superyacht captains specify SOLAS rafts anyway because the survival equipment inside is more complete and the build is more durable. The trade-off is weight, bulk, and cost.
The practical way to choose the standard is to match it honestly to where the boat goes. A boat that never leaves a bay in summer can be served by a coastal ISO 9650-2 raft. A boat that crosses open water, sails at night, or ventures offshore in shoulder seasons needs an offshore ISO 9650-1 raft at minimum. A commercially coded charter vessel or a yacht over a certain size operating under flag-state rules will be told exactly which SOLAS raft to carry by its coding requirements, and the surveyor who inspects the vessel will check for it. If you are unsure which category applies to your voyages, a survival equipment specialist can tell you in a five-minute conversation about your typical passages.
| Feature | ISO 9650-2 Coastal | ISO 9650-1 Offshore | SOLAS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intended use | Sheltered and coastal waters, warm season | Open water, night sailing, cold conditions | Commercial ships, coded charter, large yachts |
| Floor | Single floor typical | Insulated inflatable double floor | Insulated double floor, heavy duty |
| Canopy | Lighter, basic weather protection | Full canopy, ventilation, rain catchment | Full canopy, external and internal lights, boarding aids |
| Temperature rating | Tested to warmer minimum | Tested to lower minimum for cold water | Strictest inflation and stability testing |
| Emergency pack options | Coastal pack | Offshore pack, greater endurance | SOLAS A (24 hr plus) or SOLAS B |
| Weight (6 person, typical) | Lighter, easier to handle | Heavier due to insulation and pack | Heaviest, often needs davit or two people |
| Legally required for | Some coded coastal vessels | Offshore racing and some coded vessels | Commercial and coded charter vessels |
Life rafts are sold by rated capacity, usually 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 persons, and the number stamped on the raft is the maximum it is certified to hold, not a comfortable number. A 6-person raft gives each occupant a fixed floor area defined by the standard, and that area is tight. Six adults in a 6-person raft sit knee to knee with no room to lie down, and in a long survival situation that cramped posture becomes a real problem for morale, circulation, and the ability to bail and maintain the raft.
The rule that experienced offshore sailors follow is to buy a raft rated for your maximum crew, never fewer. If you routinely sail with four but occasionally carry six, buy the 6-person raft. Some skippers on long passages go one size larger than their normal crew for the extra room and stability, accepting the additional weight and cost. An oversized raft is not dangerous, but a raft that is loaded beyond its rating sits low, floods more easily over the tubes, and is harder to keep stable. Match the raft to the largest number of people who will realistically be aboard, and if that number changes for a particular voyage, change the raft plan for that voyage.
Weight is the counterweight to capacity in your decision. A coastal 4-person valise raft may weigh little enough for one person to carry and throw. A SOLAS 12-person canister raft can weigh well over 100 kilograms and requires a davit or a hydrostatic release to launch, because no crew member is going to lift it over the rail in a seaway. Think through who will physically move the raft in an emergency, at night, on a heeled and pitching deck, and let that reality shape the size and mounting you choose.
Every life raft is packed either in a soft valise or a rigid canister, and the choice affects where you can store it, how long between services, and how quickly you can deploy it.
A valise is a heavy fabric bag with carry handles. It is lighter and more compact than a canister, and it is designed to be stowed inside the boat in a cockpit locker, a lazarette, or a dedicated life raft locker close to the companionway. The advantage is protection from the elements, which can extend service life, and the ability to grab it and carry it by hand. The disadvantage is that a valise stored in a deep locker under other gear is useless if you cannot reach it in ten seconds, so valise stowage demands discipline: the raft locker holds the raft and nothing else, and every crew member knows where it is. A valise is not designed to be permanently exposed to sun and salt water on deck, and doing so shortens its life.
A canister is a rigid two-part fiberglass or plastic shell that seals the raft against weather. It is designed to be mounted on deck, on the coachroof, on the pushpit, or on a dedicated cradle, permanently exposed and always ready. When the raft inflates, the CO2 pressure splits the canister along its seam and the two halves fall away. Canister rafts are the standard choice for offshore boats because the raft is on deck, visible, and deployable in seconds without going below into a flooding or burning cabin. The trade-off is weight, windage, and the deck space the cradle occupies.
As a rough guide, coastal boats that can stow a raft below and reach it quickly often choose a valise, while offshore boats and any vessel where the raft must live on deck choose a canister. Some owners keep a canister raft on deck for the primary and a small valise raft below as a backup. Whatever you choose, the packing type must match the stowage location, because a canister is not meant to live in a locker and a valise is not meant to bake on deck.
A canister raft on deck sits in a cradle, which is a bracket that holds the canister firmly against the motion of the boat and the force of boarding seas. The cradle must be through-bolted to a strong point, not screwed into a thin deck skin, because green water on a coachroof exerts enormous force and a cradle that tears loose takes the raft with it. The canister is held in the cradle by straps or a strongback bar, and here is where the release mechanism becomes critical.
A manual release means a crew member unclips the strap or pulls a senhouse slip to free the canister, then throws the raft over the side and pulls the painter to inflate it. That works when there is a person on deck and time to act. A hydrostatic release unit, often called an HRU, is a device that automatically frees the raft if the boat sinks before anyone can launch it. The HRU holds the strap under tension. If the boat goes down and the unit reaches a depth of a few meters, water pressure triggers a cutter inside the HRU that severs the strap, releasing the canister. The raft floats free to the surface, the painter, which is tied to a weak link attached to the boat, pays out, and as the boat continues to sink the painter comes tight and fires the inflation. A separate weak link is built into the system so that once the raft has inflated, the pull of the sinking boat breaks the link and the raft is not dragged under.
The hydrostatic release unit is a consumable safety item with an expiry date, typically two years from manufacture, and it must be replaced on schedule regardless of whether it has ever been wet. The most common HRU on recreational and commercial boats is the Hammar H20, a compact yellow unit with the expiry date molded into the body. When a technician services your raft or when you inspect the deck installation yourself, the HRU date is one of the first things to check. An expired HRU may not fire, which defeats the entire purpose of an automatic release. This is a low-cost part that people forget, and forgetting it is one of the most common findings during a survey.
Not every raft needs an HRU. A valise raft stowed below is launched by hand and has no hydrostatic release. A canister raft on deck should have one, because the whole point of deck stowage is a raft that can free itself if the crew cannot. If you carry a canister raft without an HRU, understand that you are relying entirely on a human being to launch it, which is a reasonable choice on a boat that is always crewed and never far from help, and a poor choice for offshore work.
The raft is only half of what keeps you alive. The other half is the emergency pack sealed inside it, and packs vary enormously by grade. When you buy a raft you choose a pack level, and that choice should follow the same logic as the raft standard: match it to how long you might wait for rescue.
A coastal pack, sometimes called an inshore pack, assumes rescue within a short window and carries the basics: a sea anchor to slow the raft's drift and keep the opening downwind, bailer and sponges to keep the floor dry, paddles, a repair kit and bellows or pump to top up the tubes, a knife to cut the painter, and a couple of hand flares. It is a survival kit for hours, not days.
An offshore pack assumes a longer wait and adds to the coastal kit: more pyrotechnics including parachute rockets and orange smoke, a first aid kit, thermal protective aids to fight hypothermia, a signaling mirror and whistle, drinking water rations, seasickness tablets, and more comprehensive repair gear. Offshore packs are graded by the number of hours of endurance they are built to support.
SOLAS packs come in two grades. SOLAS A is the full commercial pack, built for extended survival, and it includes water rations, food rations, a complete pyrotechnic set, fishing kit, first aid, thermal protective aids, and full signaling equipment. SOLAS B is a reduced version of the SOLAS pack, used on vessels that operate closer to shore under a coding scheme that permits it, carrying less water and fewer pyrotechnics than pack A. If your vessel is coded, your certificate tells you which pack you must carry. If your boat is private, you choose, and the honest question is how long a rescue could take on your worst-case passage.
Whatever pack you buy, remember that everything in it has an expiry: flares expire, water rations expire, food rations expire, and batteries expire. These items are checked and replaced during servicing, which is one of the main reasons servicing is not optional. A raft with a valid hull and expired flares is only partly ready.
Understanding how a raft inflates removes the mystery and, more importantly, tells you how to deploy one correctly under stress. Inside the raft, folded flat, is a gas cylinder charged with a mix of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The painter line, the long cord that comes out of the canister or valise, runs to a firing head on that cylinder. When you throw the raft over the side and pull the painter until it comes hard up against the firing mechanism, the cylinder discharges and the raft inflates. Full inflation takes seconds.
The sequence matters. You tie the end of the painter to a strong point on the boat before you throw the raft, so the raft does not drift away as it inflates. You throw the canister or valise to leeward, the downwind side, so the raft does not blow back onto the boat or under it. You pull the painter, often a long pull because there can be many meters of line coiled inside, until you feel the cylinder fire and see the raft take shape. Then you board, ideally stepping down and in without entering the water, and you cut the painter free of the sinking boat only once everyone is aboard and you are ready to separate. Cutting too early loses your only link to the boat; cutting too late risks being dragged down. Every crew briefing should cover this sequence, because a raft that inflates upside down or blows away because the painter was not tied off has failed at the moment it mattered.
Rafts sometimes inflate upside down, especially in wind. Every offshore raft has a righting line and a righting strap on the underside, and the technique is to position yourself upwind, brace a foot on the gas cylinder, grab the strap, and lean back so the wind helps flip the raft upright over your body. This is worth practicing at a raft demonstration day, which many service stations run, because reading it and doing it in cold water are different experiences.
Most recreational rafts are throw-overboard rafts. You lift or slide the raft to the rail, throw it into the water, and pull the painter. This works up to a certain weight, above which a human cannot safely manhandle the raft over the side in a seaway. That weight ceiling is why capacity and packing type feed back into the launch method.
Davit-launched rafts are used on larger yachts and commercial vessels where the raft is too heavy to throw. A davit is a small crane that lifts the raft, swings it outboard, and lowers it to the water with the crew already aboard, so nobody has to enter the sea. Davit-launched SOLAS rafts are built to be boarded on deck and lowered fully loaded, which requires a stronger raft, a lifting bridle, and a certified davit system. For a private yacht, davit launching is a feature of the largest vessels; for most owners the throw-overboard raft is the right and simpler answer. The decision is driven by raft weight and freeboard: if the raft is light enough to throw and the crew can reach the water side, throw-overboard is correct. If the raft is heavy and the freeboard is high, a davit system removes the impossible task of lifting 100 kilograms over a rail.
A life raft is a sealed package of rubber, adhesive, gas, and consumables that degrades slowly whether or not it is ever used. Servicing is the scheduled inspection where a certified technician opens the raft, inflates it, tests it, replaces expired items, and repacks it. Skipping service does not save money; it converts a life-saving device into an expensive unknown.
Service intervals depend on the raft type and the manufacturer. Traditionally, rafts were serviced annually, and many commercial and coded vessels are still required to service every twelve months. Modern recreational rafts from several manufacturers are now approved for three-year service intervals for the first several years of life, after which they may revert to more frequent servicing as the raft ages. The interval is set by the manufacturer and printed on the raft and in the manual, and your insurer or coding scheme may impose a shorter interval than the manufacturer allows. Always follow the shorter of the two. A raft that is out of service date may void your insurance and will certainly fail a survey.
During a service the technician carries out a defined set of tasks. The raft is removed from its valise or canister and unpacked. It is inflated fully, either with its own cylinder or with a service line, and left under pressure for a set period so the technician can check for leaks and confirm the tubes, floor, and canopy hold air. Seams, valves, and the floor are inspected. The gas cylinder is weighed to confirm it holds its full charge and the firing head is inspected. The hydrostatic release unit is checked and replaced if expired. Every consumable in the emergency pack is checked against its expiry: flares, water, food, batteries in torches and lights, and the first aid kit. Expired items are replaced. Any repairs to the fabric are made and tested. The raft is then dried, dusted with talc to prevent the rubber sticking to itself, refolded exactly to the manufacturer's pattern, fitted with a fresh cylinder charge or a recharged cylinder as needed, and resealed in its valise or canister with a new service sticker showing the date and the next due date.
Two details are worth knowing. First, the fold matters. A raft repacked incorrectly may not inflate cleanly or may deploy upside down, which is why servicing must be done by a station certified by your raft's manufacturer, not by a general chandlery. Second, servicing is the only time anyone actually confirms your raft works. Until it is inflated on the bench, you are trusting a label. Watching your own raft's service, which many stations will let you do by appointment, is one of the most educational hours an owner can spend.
| Item | Interval | Typical 2026 cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal ISO 9650-2 raft service | 1 to 3 years per maker | 250 to 450 USD | Rises with any consumables replaced |
| Offshore ISO 9650-1 raft service | 1 to 3 years per maker | 350 to 650 USD | Larger pack means more expiring items |
| SOLAS raft service | Annual (commonly) | 500 to 1,200 USD | Full pack, strict testing, may need davit checks |
| Hydrostatic release unit (HRU) | Replace every 2 years | 60 to 120 USD | Consumable, fitted at service or on deck |
| Flare pack replacement | Flares expire at ~3 years | 80 to 250 USD | Coastal fewer, offshore and SOLAS more |
| Gas cylinder recharge or replace | As needed at service | 60 to 200 USD | Weighed each service, refilled if low |
| Water and food rations | Expire at ~5 years | 30 to 120 USD | Replaced when expired |
Two things push a service bill up. The first is age: an older raft needs more repairs, a new cylinder, and a fresh HRU, and the older the raft the more likely the technician finds fabric or valve issues that add cost. The second is consumables coming due in the same year, so a service where the flares, HRU, and rations all expire together will cost far more than a plain inspection. Budgeting for the worst case every service year avoids surprises. As a rule, when a raft reaches the point where a service costs a large fraction of a new raft, and the raft is more than roughly twelve to fifteen years old, replacement becomes the sensible choice, because the fabric and adhesives have a finite life no service can reverse.
The life raft market is served by a handful of manufacturers with long track records, and knowing them helps you read spec sheets and, importantly, find a service station, because a raft must be serviced by a station approved for that brand.
Viking is one of the largest survival equipment makers in the world, supplying commercial shipping and offshore industry as well as yachts. Viking rafts are known for durable build and a broad SOLAS and ISO range, and Viking runs a wide network of approved service stations globally, which makes servicing easy to arrange in most ports.
Ocean Safety is a major supplier in the recreational and commercial market, particularly strong in the sailing world, with the ISO 9650 range that fits most cruising and racing yachts. Ocean Safety also supplies emergency packs, EPIRBs, and grab bags, so many owners buy the whole survival package from one source.
Switlik is a long-established American maker known for high-quality rafts favored by offshore sailors and aviation, with a reputation for build quality at the premium end of the market. Switlik rafts are common on serious bluewater boats in North America.
Zodiac, a name most boaters know from inflatable tenders, also produces life rafts across the coastal to SOLAS range, with a large service network in Europe and worldwide. Zodiac rafts appear on many production cruising yachts as original equipment.
Plastimo, a French manufacturer, supplies a broad range of ISO 9650 coastal and offshore rafts at competitive prices, widely fitted to European production boats and popular for coastal cruisers who want a recognized standard without the premium cost.
Other names you will encounter include Survitec, which owns several survival brands and serves the commercial market heavily, and Crewsaver in the personal safety space. When choosing between brands, the two questions that matter most are whether the raft meets the standard you need and whether there is an approved service station within reach of your home port, because a raft you cannot get serviced locally becomes an expensive problem at every renewal.
Purchase prices in 2026 span a wide range because the standard, capacity, and pack all move the number. A coastal ISO 9650-2 four to six person raft in a valise typically starts around 1,200 to 2,000 USD. An offshore ISO 9650-1 six person raft in a canister with an offshore pack usually runs 2,500 to 4,500 USD, and larger capacities or premium brands push higher. A SOLAS raft, with its heavier build and full pack, commonly runs from around 3,500 USD into five figures for larger davit-launched units. These figures are for new rafts; a used raft is a gamble because you cannot see its service history or fabric condition without paying for a full service first, and a used raft that fails inspection is money lost.
Against the purchase price, budget the recurring service cost from the table above, because the true cost of a life raft is the purchase plus roughly a decade of servicing. A raft that is cheap to buy but has no local approved service station can cost more over its life than a more expensive raft you can service down the road. Factor the whole ownership cost, not just the sticker.
Buying a life raft sits inside a wider set of safety decisions. If you are outfitting a boat from scratch, it is worth reading our boat safety equipment guide and requirements so the raft fits into a complete plan alongside your other gear. A life raft and a distress beacon work together, so pair this with our EPIRB and PLB guide for boats, because a raft keeps you afloat and a beacon tells rescuers where you are.
Where the raft lives on the boat is as important as which raft you buy. The deployment rule is simple: the raft must be reachable and launchable within seconds, by any crew member, in the dark, when the boat is heeled and the deck is awash. A canister on a coachroof cradle meets that test if the cradle is strong and the release is understood. A valise in a dedicated cockpit locker meets it if the locker holds nothing but the raft and the crew know where it is. A raft buried in the bottom of a lazarette under fenders and dock lines fails the test no matter how good the raft is.
Mount canisters where boarding seas will not tear them off and where the crew can reach the release without leaving the safety of the cockpit if possible. Keep the cradle straps and any senhouse slip clean and free, and check the HRU date every season. Brief every person who steps aboard on where the raft is and how it launches, because in a real emergency the person nearest the raft may not be the skipper.
The grab bag is the companion to the raft and belongs in the same conversation. A grab bag is a floating waterproof bag you take with you into the raft, holding the items the raft's own pack does not: your EPIRB or a spare, a handheld VHF, a GPS, spare water, personal medications, a knife, a torch, sun protection, and any documents you want. The raft's emergency pack is a survival minimum; the grab bag is what you add to improve your odds and your comfort, and it lives ready by the companionway so it can be grabbed on the way out. Do not put the EPIRB permanently inside the grab bag if that means it is buried; keep it accessible and add it to the bag as you abandon.
Many owners time the raft service to coincide with the annual haul-out, when the boat is already ashore and other maintenance is underway. This is efficient because the raft can be removed, sent to the station, and returned before launch, and you are already thinking about safety systems. If you plan your season around a lift, read our yacht haul-out guide and cost and add the raft service to the same window so nothing is missed. Coordinating the raft service, the HRU replacement, and any flare renewals into one shore period keeps the boat's safety paperwork clean and avoids the scramble of a raft that goes out of date mid-season when no station has a slot.
A life raft must be serviced by a station approved by the manufacturer of your raft, because the technician needs the correct training, the correct spares, and the correct fold pattern for your model. General chandleries and canvas shops cannot service rafts. The approved stations are specialist survival equipment businesses, and they are not on every corner, which is why owners in some regions have to ship rafts a distance or wait for a service window.
Yacht Service Network exists to make that search painless. It is a free directory and marketplace of marine service providers, so you can search for life raft service and survival equipment specialists near your berth, see verified businesses, and request quotes without paying a fee or handing over a lead charge. Owners and captains use it to find the nearest approved station and compare prices before booking, and safety businesses use it to reach the owners who need them. There is no membership cost on either side.
If you run a survival equipment or raft service business, listing on Yacht Service Network puts you in front of the owners and captains actively searching for the service you provide, at no cost. You keep your own customers and pay no per-lead fee.
You can manage your raft service reminders, quotes, and provider messages from your phone. Keep the whole boat safety schedule in your pocket.
It depends on the raft and the maker. Older and commercial rafts are typically serviced every twelve months. Many modern recreational rafts are approved for three-year intervals for the first several years of life, then revert to more frequent servicing as they age. The interval is printed on the raft and in the manual, and your insurer or coding scheme may require a shorter interval, in which case you follow the shorter one. An out-of-date raft can void insurance and will fail a survey.
An offshore raft, meeting ISO 9650-1, has an insulated double floor, a heavier canopy, a lower temperature rating for cold water, and a larger emergency pack for a longer wait. A coastal raft, meeting ISO 9650-2, is lighter, often has a single floor, and carries a smaller pack for shorter waits closer to help. Match the raft to your worst-case voyage, not your typical one.
Most private recreational yachts do not need a SOLAS raft; an ISO 9650 coastal or offshore raft is the right choice. SOLAS rafts are required on commercial ships, coded charter vessels, and some large yachts operating under flag-state rules, and your coding certificate will specify it. Some offshore owners fit SOLAS rafts by choice for the fuller pack and heavier build, accepting the extra weight and cost.
A hydrostatic release unit, or HRU, automatically frees a canister raft if the boat sinks before the crew can launch it. Water pressure at a few meters depth triggers a cutter that releases the raft, which floats up and inflates as the sinking boat pulls the painter. A canister raft mounted on deck should have one; a valise raft launched by hand does not. The HRU expires after about two years and must be replaced on schedule even if never used.
A coastal valise raft typically starts around 1,200 to 2,000 USD. An offshore canister raft with an offshore pack usually runs 2,500 to 4,500 USD. SOLAS rafts start around 3,500 USD and rise into five figures for larger davit-launched units. Remember to budget the recurring service cost as well, since the true cost of ownership is the purchase plus roughly a decade of servicing.
The technician unpacks the raft, inflates it fully, and holds it under pressure to check for leaks. Seams, valves, and the floor are inspected, the gas cylinder is weighed and the firing head checked, and the HRU is replaced if expired. Every consumable in the emergency pack, including flares, water, food, and batteries, is checked against its expiry and replaced as needed. The raft is repaired if required, dried, talced, refolded to the maker's pattern, resealed, and given a new service sticker with the next due date.
Choose a valise if you can stow the raft below in a dedicated, instantly reachable locker and want a lighter package protected from the weather, which suits coastal boats. Choose a canister if the raft must live on deck, always ready and deployable in seconds without going below, which suits offshore boats. The packing type must match the stowage: canisters are built for deck exposure, valises are not.
No. A life raft must be serviced by a station approved by your raft's manufacturer, because the technician needs the right training, spares, and fold pattern for your model. An incorrectly repacked raft may fail to inflate or deploy upside down. General chandleries cannot service rafts. Use a specialist survival equipment station, which you can find through the Yacht Service Network directory.
A life raft is a system, not a single purchase. Choose the standard that matches your voyages, coastal ISO 9650-2 for sheltered warm-water sailing, offshore ISO 9650-1 for open water and cold, SOLAS if your vessel is coded or you want commercial-grade equipment. Buy the capacity that fits your maximum crew, pick valise or canister to match where the raft will live, fit a cradle and hydrostatic release if it lives on deck, and choose an emergency pack sized to your worst-case wait. Then keep it serviced on schedule, replace the HRU and consumables when they expire, and brief every crew member on where the raft is and how to launch it. Do those things and the canister on your coachroof stops being a hope and becomes a plan.